by Anna Hackett
Tane felt the energy swell in the crowd. The squad soldiers all cheered.
“Everyone ready to go to hell?” Marcus said.
“Hell, yeah,” his squad cheered. “The devil needs an ass-kicking.”
“Let’s roll, Squad Three,” Tane said.
“Time to kick some alien ass,” Hemi boomed.
Nearby, Roth Masters nodded. “Squad Nine, we’re taking to the air in the Darkswifts.”
Tane turned and saw Hemi kiss Cam. Not far away, Mac was clinging to Niko as the civilian leader kissed her. Taylor and Devlin were holding hands, whispering to each other. Near Roth, Theron from Squad Nine had Sienna tucked to his side. The big man caught Tane’s gaze and nodded.
A brunette appeared. “Be careful out there, Masters.”
“Always, Masters.” Roth kissed his wife, Avery.
“Devlin, Santha, and I, and a couple of others from the Intel team, are going to join Kate’s security team.” Avery smiled briefly at Tane. “And Manu and his armory team are helping as well. We’ll beef up security around the base.”
Tane felt a burst of pride. He knew Manu, Kate, and the others would deal with any raptors that got close to the base.
Roth slid a hand into Avery’s hair. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Go be a badass.”
Selena spun to Tane. “I’m coming with you.”
His gut went tight. “You should help Emerson—”
“I’ll be of more use in the field. I can help.” She pressed a hand to his chest. “Don’t make me wait here, wondering if you and the others are okay, wondering if I could be out there helping.”
Dammit. They had to slow the aliens down. They needed everything they had to make that happen. If they didn’t…
He wanted Selena safe, but he couldn’t lock her up, and they needed her skills.
“All right. Get some armor.”
She beamed and went up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“You’ll stay right with me the entire time.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to help.”
Tane didn’t miss that she hadn’t agreed to what he’d said.
But it was too late to argue. He took her hand, and with the rest of the berserkers, they jogged toward the squad locker rooms. After she disappeared into the Squad Nine locker room, he headed for his locker.
He slammed on his armor and checked his carbine. “Selena’s coming with us.” He gritted his teeth against the slice of fear that cut through him.
Hemi gripped his shoulder. “We’ll keep her safe.”
“Hell,” Griff said. “She’ll probably help keep us safe. But you know we’ll protect her.”
He looked at his friends, his brothers by blood and choice. They all nodded and he knew without a single doubt that they had his back.
When they exited the locker room, Selena was waiting for them. Her silver-white hair was braided, and her black armor was dark against her pale skin. She lifted her chin, a determined glint in her green eyes.
Tane grabbed her hand and they made their way down to the hangar where the berserkers kept their bikes.
They walked in and the lights clicked on automatically, gleaming off the dull metal of the armored bikes. His squad had spent a lot of time working on the bikes, adding enhancements and weapons to them. Tane climbed onto his and patted the seat behind him. Gingerly, Selena climbed on behind him.
“Hold on.”
Engines gunned, filling the space. The bikes had both silent thermonuclear engines and regular engines. When they needed stealth, they ran on the thermonuclear one, and when they didn’t, they enjoyed the rumble.
He took off first, leading the way to the end of the big room and then up a ramp, Selena clinging tightly to him. The others followed.
Moments later, they were outside, driving through the field toward one of the roads leading past the Enclave. Nearby, he spotted Hell Squad in some of the big, rugged Z6-Hunter armored vehicles. Several other squads were in Hunters, and Hawks were lifting off, heading toward the incoming aliens.
Several fast shadows shot through the sky overhead. Squad Nine in the Darkswifts—powered gliders.
Tane gunned down the road and realized that this was it. They were heading toward the final battle with the Gizzida. All the fighting, all the missions, all the struggle to survive was leading to this.
It’s our planet, motherfuckers.
They hadn’t gone much farther when explosions ripped into the sky ahead of them.
“Squad Nine has engaged,” Indy said on the comm line.
They rounded a curve and went up a hill.
“Fuck me,” Hemi said.
Gizzida filled the valley below.
“So many,” Selena murmured.
Tane’s mouth firmed. “Not for long.”
He gunned his bike and headed down the slope. He was flanked by his berserkers, the engines of their bikes rumbling.
These were the best men he knew. And he had no doubt that they would fight with everything they had.
Hawks appeared above, dropping their illusion as they disgorged squads into the green field below. Hunters rolled across the grass.
As they neared the aliens, Tane primed the rocket launcher attached to his bike. He thumbed the firing control.
A missile shot forward and hit the first line of raptors.
Several aliens were thrown into the air, the grass catching fire. Behind them, two rexes roared and stomped closer. One veered to the left, chasing one of the Hunters.
Behind Tane, Selena stood up.
“Selena,” he growled.
She held onto his shoulder with one hand, her other hand raised into the air.
Suddenly, a black cloud whipped out of the trees, dipping and whirling. It descended on the rex.
Bees. He’d seen her do this before. The rex shook its head wildly. It darted sideways, stomping its clawed feet. The rider on its back fell off.
Then the rex turned and rampaged back through the Gizzida, stomping on its own troops.
Tane kept firing, the berserkers joining him.
Ahead, canids and hellions were leaping over downed aliens. Raptors fired their weapons. The valley turned into a horrifying vision of hell.
Darkswifts dipped low, dropping cineole bombs. The fluid hung in the air, the sharp stench of eucalyptus hitting him.
Selena moved her hand gracefully and the wind picked up, whipping past them. It spread the oil across the aliens.
The raptors’ guttural cries filled the air.
Several flying aliens tried to attack the Darkswifts. One Darkswift shot lasers, turning sharply. The lasers clipped the alien, and the flying creature’s wings collapsed. It tumbled to the ground, taking out a raptor vehicle.
“Pteros,” someone yelled.
The small alien ships whipped through the sky, looking like the pteranodons they were named for. Laser fire lit up the sky and missiles hit the ground nearby, explosions shaking the earth. Several Hawks dropped their illusions, autoturrets firing on the pteros.
One Hawk flew in hard and fast, its lasers arcing through the sky. It clipped a ptero and the alien ship went spinning out of control. Only one pilot could fly like that—Finn.
Something exploded right in front of Tane.
“Look out!” Selena screamed.
Jerking the handlebars, Tane avoided the blast. But before he could take a breath, projectiles peppered his bike.
Fuck. Sniper.
He reached back and yanked Selena down. His bike skidded to the side, hit a raptor, and flew into the air. He spun, grabbed Selena, and leaped off.
They hit the ground and rolled across the grass.
“You okay?” he yelled.
She nodded, pushing up. Her cheek was streaked with dirt.
Suddenly, poison hit nearby, burning the grass and sizzling against the dirt. Tane leaped on her, covering her with his body.
Then he yanked her up. “Come on.”
He turned again and a huge rex loomed, roaring and stomping closer.
Fucking hell. He whipped his carbine up, firing.
“We’re coming,” Hemi shouted across the comm line. “Hold on, bro!”
Tane swiveled and saw the berserkers roaring across the field toward them.
“Hold on, Tane.” Marcus’ gravelly voice.
He glanced to the east and saw Hell Squad fighting their way closer. Marcus, Cruz, Reed, and Gabe were on foot, charging forward and firing their carbines. Next to them, a Hunter swerved, autoturret blasting. Shaw would be at the turret controls while Claudia drove.
More sniper projectiles peppered around Tane and Selena. He leaped in front of Selena and one of the bone-like bolts hit his shoulder.
Fuck. It rammed through a joint in his armor and pierced his skin. He grunted.
“Tane.” Selena stared at his injury. “No!”
She spun and threw her arms up.
A blast of energy knocked all the nearest Gizzida back. Then she bent over and thrust one hand to the ground.
For a second, nothing happened, but then near the raptors and canids, he saw the grass move. A black wave welled up out of the greenery. He sucked in a breath. It was insects—ants, spiders, beetles. They welled up like a dark tsunami and swamped the raptors and alien dogs.
Holy shit.
Selena took two steps, her skin glowing. She thrust both hands to the ground, one leg bent, the other straight out to her side.
Tane felt a tremor under his feet and a huge well of energy. It felt like lightning was about to strike.
Ahead of them, the ground leaped up, buckling. Like a wave, it rolled through the soil and knocked the aliens off their feet.
The ground reared up again and a rex toppled over.
Any aliens still standing, turned and ran.
Selena rose, then strode toward Tane. Around her, the grass tried to slither up her legs.
She reached him, snaked one hand around the back of his neck, and jerked his head down. Then she kissed the hell out of him.
“Butterfly, you sure know how to kick ass,” he said against her lips.
She gave him a sweet smile, then frowned at his injury.
“This is going to hurt.” She yanked out the projectile.
He winced and bit his tongue.
Then a slim hand moved over his shoulder and he felt warmth as she healed him.
Once he was healed, he jerked her into his arms and kissed her.
“The fuckers are retreating,” Indy said. “But there’s bad news.”
Fuck, of course there was.
“Drone team say this is the advance guard. There are more aliens incoming.”
Selena squeezed her eyes closed.
“Acknowledged,” Tane said.
His squad pulled up around him, their bikes idling. Hell Squad reached them.
“More aliens on the way,” Tane said.
“Bring it,” Levi grumbled.
Marcus’ face was grim. He lifted a pair of binocs, looking north. Then he muttered a curse.
Dread pooled in Tane’s gut. When the squad leader held out the binocs, Tane took them. He lifted them and waited for the autofocus to finish.
A huge black shadow dominated the view. There were more raptors marching on the ground, but above them, a giant shape was flying.
“Indy, you seeing what we’re seeing?”
“Yes.” Her voice was subdued. “It busted out of the ground near the airport. It’s massive, Tane. Some alien creature we haven’t seen before.”
It had a long, almost-bullet shaped body with several long tendrils flowing back behind it. It powered through the air and it was absolutely huge. It looked a little like a giant squid.
“They must have been cooking it all this time,” Marcus said. “Elle said they have reports coming in. It sprays poison and the tentacles move fast.”
Fuck. “Okay, we need to plan how to take the damn thing down.”
“Wait a second!” Indy’s voice turned frantic. “We just got fresh intel…”
“What is it?” Tane demanded.
“Oh, God, Tane. We just picked up increased alien activity at Blue Mountain Base. There are huge energy readings. And we’re getting similar reports from Groom Lake and Setermoen.”
Fuck. His gut knotted. Selena’s green eyes met his.
She sucked in a breath. “They’re ready to detonate the bombs.”
Chapter Fifteen
Fear welled in Selena.
This was it.
The Gizzida’s endgame.
“Tane, this is Holmes.”
She glanced up at Tane’s rugged face, listening to the general’s voice in her earpiece.
“You and your squad need to get to the Blue Mountains. And Selena, too. The other squads will continue to hold off the attack. You need to get to Blue Mountain Base and try to stop that bomb.”
A Hawk appeared in the sky above them, lowering down with a gust of air. A grim-looking Finn sat in the cockpit. He nodded at them.
Selena touched her ear. “General, it’s Selena. Tell Emerson to prepare the antidote. As much as she can.”
“She told me it’s not guaranteed, that it had unpredictable results,” the general said.
“It’s all we’ve got.” She met Tane’s dark eyes.
“All right,” Holmes said. “See you soon.”
“Listen up, Squad Three,” Tane said. “We’re headed to Blue Mountain Base to fuck up the Gizzida and their bomb.”
“Oh, yeah, baby,” Hemi said.
Shaw stepped forward, grinning. “We’ll take good care of your bikes.” The sniper eyed the armored bikes eagerly.
Levi pointed at the man. “One scratch, Baird, and I’m taking you down.”
Shaw stroked the side of Levi’s bike. “I know how to treat a lady. Ask my woman, I handle her just right.”
Claudia snorted and smacked him in the back of the head. “Lucky I’m in love with you.”
Selena looked at Hell Squad, wondering if it was the last time she’d see them. They’d been the ones to free her from her Gizzida nightmare. Her gaze met Claudia’s and the tough woman’s face softened.
Claudia hugged her. “Whatever happens, however long we’ve got, it’s all worth it.”
Selena felt a prick of tears and nodded.
“No regrets. Let’s go do what’s right and fight. With our men and our friends by our sides.”
Releasing Claudia, Selena followed Tane onto the Hawk. The rest of the berserkers climbed in with them. It was a tense ride back to the Enclave. She looked to the north and saw the shadow of the giant alien and her belly tightened.
They were facing impossible odds.
The general and Emerson met them in the Hawk hangar.
“Here.” Emerson held up two heavy-duty vials. The antidote glimmered inside. “Selena, it needs more testing. Since I saw you, it stopped working again.”
Selena touched the woman’s arm. “We have to try.”
Emerson nodded. “Gabe?”
“Out kicking ass with Hell Squad,” Tane said.
The doctor hugged Selena. “Be careful.”
The time to be careful was over. Selena nodded at the general. She was surprised when the usually stoic man leaned forward and hugged her as well.
“You’re one of us, Selena.”
Her heart swelled. “Thank you.”
She turned and let Tane help her back onto the Hawk. Moments later, they were taking off and spearing into the sky.
They turned away from the fighting. She caught one last glance of plumes of smoke rising into the air. Be safe.
Tane sat and pulled her into his lap. On this journey, there was no joking or laughing. The berserkers were all tense.
“Our chances aren’t good,” she wh
ispered.
His arms tightened. She reached down and traced the ink on his forearm. She wanted more time with him—loving him, laughing with him, living.
“No,” he said. “But that won’t fucking stop us from fighting to survive.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’d die for you, Selena.”
Her chest hitched. “Don’t say that. Instead, promise me that you’ll live for me.”
That got her one of his rare smiles. “Okay, Butterfly. So, are you going to call in some bugs, or cause an earthquake?”
“Maybe.”
“My beautiful warrior fairy.” He played with her hair. “How come you aren’t burned out? You did some pretty wild things back on the battlefield.”
She shrugged. “I’m a little tired, but I feel more energy ebbing and flowing in me.” She focused on it, that core inside her. “I actually think it’s you.”
He raised a brow. “Me?”
“Our connection. Our naria are linked.” And Tane Rahia was an intense man, filled with powerful determination and strength.
He smiled. “I guess my naria is corrupting yours.”
She kissed him. “I like it.”
“Coming up on the drop zone,” Finn called out.
The plan was to use the same entrance they’d used on the recon mission. The Hawk lowered down into a clearing and stopped in a hover above the ground.
As Tane opened the side door, Finn appeared. The pilot hugged Selena hard, and she held onto him tightly. There were no words to say. Her throat was tight at the thought that she might never see her friend again.
“Selena.” Tane waited at the door.
She released Finn and took Tane’s hand.
She leaped down and the berserkers surrounded her. Big, muscled, tattooed, they were all wild in their own ways, and so full of life.
As the Hawk lifted off, the berserkers turned, and they moved in a tight group into the trees. Selena looked up at the sun shining through the dappled leaves. She sensed water flowing nearby.
Such a beautiful place, but below, death was waiting.
“Illusion armor on,” Tane murmured.
Ahead of them, Levi and Ash disappeared from view. Then Hemi, Dom, and Griff.
But she knew they were close by.
They reached the doorway, and Ash worked on the lock. The door slid open.
Selena followed the men into the dark, dank tunnel and pulled in a deep breath. They moved quietly and quickly through the tunnels. They closed in on the inner core where the bomb was. A hum of ragged energy filled the air, prickling over her skin.
